Between the valleys where the Preto and Riachão rivers flow, in western Bahia, an exuberant region that is home to native savanna forest began to be cleared to make way for the planting of soy, corn and cotton.
The company Delfin Rio S/A, which is part of the Cachoeira do Estrondo Condominium, a group of farms in the city of Formosa do Rio Preto, started the deforestation of savanna areas in the second half of 2021. The government authorized it to remove 24.7 thousand hectares.
The authorization was granted by the government of Bahia in May 2019, at the beginning of the second term of governor Rui Costa (PT). Since then, the endorsement has been questioned by environmentalists and associations representing small farmers who have lived in the region for nearly 200 years.
The company claims to comply with the conditions of the environmental license issued by Inema, Bahia's environmental agency.
In addition to environmental impacts and impacts on traditional communities, the area that is beginning to be deforested is part of a litigation that involves the state of Bahia itself. The government of Bahia has filed a lawsuit in court in which it claims ownership of areas occupied by the mega-farm.
The Cachoeira do Estrondo Condominium is designated by the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform as the largest illegally owned area in Bahia and one of the largest in Brazil.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon